1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spreadable product and a process for selectively fractionating fat and then recombining selected fat fractions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Both butter and oleomargarine are typically stored in a refrigerator and often used immediately after being taken from the refrigerator. One distinct advantage that oleomargarine has had over butter is that oleomargarine spreads more easily at refrigeration temperatures than butter.
Some work has been done in attempting to alter spreadability and thermal behavior of butter. As reported in The New Zealand Dairy Research Institute 1975, 1976 and 1977 Reports, milk fat was fractionated and then recombined. It was suggested that the triglyceride fraction which melts at 5.degree. C. to 20.degree. C. in milk fat be largely removed to mimic the spreadability of margarine at refrigeration temperatures.
R. E. Timms describes separating milk fat into three fractions. The high melting fraction includes only long chain saturated acids and has a melting point of greater than 50.degree. C. The middle melting fraction includes two long chain saturated acids plus one short chain or cis-unsaturated acid and has a melting point of 35.degree. C. to 40.degree. C. The low melting fraction has one long chain saturated acid plus two short chain or cis-unsaturated acids and has a melting point of less than 15.degree. C. However, Timms does not recombine any of the fractions but simply provides an analysis of these three fractions.
The Verhagen et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,760 describes a low calorie spread that is based on a low-melting butterfat fraction that has an improved spreadability at 10.degree. C. The low-melting butterfat fraction is an olein obtained by dry fractionation of butterfat within the temperature range of 20.degree. C. to 30.degree. C. The low-melting olein fraction is cooled and worked into an emulsion having a pH of 4.0 to 7.0 until a product having a required texture and plasticity is produced.
The Biernoth et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,503 describes a process for producing a mixture of triglycerides displaying butter-like properties by fractionating butterfat with a liquified gas or a gas under supercritical conditions. The mixture of triglycerides predominantly consists of triglycerides with a carbon number ranging from 24 to 42 and is used as one of the fat components of a margarine fat blend to improve the margarine's butter-like properties.